Drug Lord Claims Ambush in Killing of Prominent Politician in Sinaloa

In a shocking turn of events, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a prominent drug lord associated with the Sinaloa Cartel, has claimed that the recent killing of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, a well-known politician in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, was not a result of an attempted carjacking as initially reported by state authorities. Zambada’s lawyer, Frank Perez, released a statement on Saturday, countering the official version and alleging that Cuén Ojeda’s death occurred during an ambush orchestrated by fellow trafficker Joaquín Guzmán López.

According to Zambada’s statement, Guzmán López lured him into a meeting in Culiacan, the state capital, under the pretense of resolving differences between Cuén Ojeda and Sinaloa’s governor, Rubén Rocha Moya. Cuén Ojeda, a former mayor of Culiacan and a candidate for governor in 2016, had been involved in a dispute with Rocha over leadership of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa. Zambada claims that he arrived early for the meeting at a ranch called Huertos del Pedregal, where he encountered a large number of armed men wearing green military uniforms, whom he assumed were Guzmán López’s gunmen.

Zambada further stated that he greeted Cuén Ojeda and one of his aides before proceeding to a room filled with fruit. There, he saw Guzmán López, whom he had known since childhood, gesturing for him to follow. Trusting the nature of the meeting and the individuals involved, Zambada followed without hesitation. However, upon entering a dark room, he was ambushed by a group of men who assaulted him, tied him up, and forced him into the bed of a pickup truck. Zambada endured physical abuse, resulting in significant injuries, and was subsequently driven to a nearby landing strip, where he was forced onto a private plane.

Zambada’s claims have raised questions about the official narrative surrounding Cuén Ojeda’s killing and its potential connection to the arrests of Sinaloa cartel leaders near El Paso on the same day. Zambada and Guzmán López were apprehended by U.S. federal agents upon landing in New Mexico. Zambada has pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to his leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel, while Guzmán López faces separate charges in Chicago alongside his younger brother, Ovidio Guzmán López, for their alleged involvement in a cartel faction known as Los Chapitos.

The Justice Department is expected to transfer Zambada’s case to Brooklyn, where he will face charges in the same court that hosted the trial of his longtime partner, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence following his 2019 conviction. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Iván Guzmán Salazar, another half-brother of Guzmán López and leader of Los Chapitos, remain unknown as he remains a fugitive in Mexico.